Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley seems like a perfect choice, right? Well, she was until she broke her arm and couldn't compete, and then her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook had to take over. The replacement had conspiracy theorists claiming that this was all a publicity stunt to boost Sailor's career.

Tonya Harding

The casting turned out to be part of Tonya Harding's "reintroduction to the world." But, following her DWTS casting announcement,the general public still couldn't help but wonder how fellow Olympic Figure Skater, Nancy Kerrigan, might feel about being a "good sport."

Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis has hundreds of thousands of fans and is a world-class athlete. His squirrel dance is loved by many, including Mary J. Blige. But, the two-time Super Bowl winner has been connected to controversy ever since his alleged involvement in a murder in Atlanta back in the year 2000. Lewis later pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and was acquitted of murder charges. The NFL Hall of Famer had a short run on the show following a foot injury.

Carole Baskin

"Hey, all you cool cats and kittens," this season's most controversial cast member by far is Carole Baskin. The animal rights activist and founder of the Big Cat Rescue has received a ton of criticism following her appearance in the Netflix Documentary Tiger King. Many critics claim that she is responsible for the death of her husband, who went missing in 1997. Carole is the second cast member to be eliminated this season.

Bristol Palin

There was a time when Bristol Palin's mother, Sarah Palin, was one of the most controversial people in politics. Bristol became the center of attention when the conservative vice presidential nominee had to defend her daughter, Bristol's teen pregnancy during the 2008 presidential election. A couple of years later, Bristol made a name for herself, coming in third place on Dancing With the Stars.

Sean Spicer

If you follow up being President Donald Trump's Press Secretary with becoming a contestant on Dancing with The Stars, it's going to be controversial. Sean Spicer made it a lot farther than fans ever would have guessed (or supported) since his dancing never seemed to get any better. Now we can remember him from both DWTS and Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of him on SNL.

Paula Deen

There was a time when everybody would have gladly "passed the butter" to Paula Deen. That was until the celebrity chef was 'canceled' amid numerous scandals. The biggest scandal was a lawsuit accusing Deen of racial discrimination and sexual harassment, which ultimately led to her admission of using the "n-word" in the past. The star held her own long enough to place 9th on DWTS and is now working on her comeback with plenty of online cooking segments.

Rick Perry

The former Texas Governor may have thought he was putting himself out there when he ran for president in 2016. But, he took it one step further when he put his name in the hat on DWTS. His decision to join the show was controversial at the time because the former Governor had abuse of power charges against him dropped just months before his casting. Perry gave all the energy he could to Dancing with The Stars, including an unforgettable dance with Vanilla Ice, before President Trump appointed him the Secretary of Energy.